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 ARBA - American Reference Books Annual - has been a trusted resource for more than 30 years, a resource to which library and information science professionals have turned for the most authoritative and reliable reviews of reference materials. ARBA 2008 Milestone Documents in American History: Exploring the Primary Sources That Shaped America. Paul Finkelman, ed. Dallas, Tex., Schlager Group; distr., Hackensack, N.J., Salem Press, 2008. 4v. illus. index. $385.00/set. ISBN 13: 978-0-9797758-0-2. Primary documents have always been essential scholarly sources for serious researchers and students of American historiography. Their study, moreover, has become increasingly important for high school and undergraduate-level students. What has been missing in previous attempts at encyclopedias devoted to primary documents has been broad and expressive contextual analysis. This new four-volume encyclopedia from the Schlager Group is the publisher's inaugural publication, the first offering in a larger series of future volumes entitled "Milestone Documents," and a first-rate effort intended to provide students with a comprehensive and scholarly traditional reference source. An electronic version is available from the publisher's companion Website (http://www.history.salempress.com). It will undoubtedly become the premier reference work devoted to the subject. What sets this encyclopedia apart is the combination of the full-text of 130 of the nation's most important documents with expert analysis by an impressive list of nearly 100 esteemed scholars and American historians. Edited by Paul Finkelman, President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy at Albany Law School (New York), Milestone Documents in American History incorporates a number of notable features. Each entry begins with an overview of the document and includes explanation and analysis; an examination of the context in which it was created; a brief biography of the article's author; a glossary; essential quotes; the author's intended audience; the document's historical impact; sidebars; questions for further study; related documents; photographs and illustrations; a bibliography; timelines; and the full-text of the document. The signed essays are comprehensive, the writing is terrific, the research is outstanding, and the depth of analysis noteworthy. Two forthcoming companion sets in the series, Milestone Documents of American Leaders and Milestone Documents in World History will be offered in 2009, and if they meet the high editorial standards of this first offering, will make for a major contribution to the study of history unmatched in its field. Thus, Milestone Documents in American History is highly recommended for all school, undergraduate, and large public libraries serving American history students, researchers, and interested readers. | ||||||
- Vincent Tinerella |
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